When it comes to General Motors vehicles with advanced
powertrains, the
Chevrolet Volt led the charge. The attractive four-door sedan
uses a lithium-ion battery pack to travel 40 miles on a charge. It
can also be plugged into a household outlet to charge over night.

Yesterday, GM announced its Cadillac Provoq concept vehicle,
another plug-in, which couples the E-Flex propulsion system with the
company's fifth generation fuel cell stack. GM CEO Rick Wagoner today
rolled the vehicle out on stage at CES alongside the Volt during his
keynote address.

Wagoner stated that the Provoq and its successors are the second
big card in GM's hand in terms of protecting the environment, and
saving consumers thousands in fuel expenses. Wagoner stated, "The
auto industry can no longer depend entirely on oil... It is critical
as both a business necessity and as an obligation to society to
develop alternative energy."

Developing alternative energy, performing desirably, and looking
good at the same time are among the Provoq's abilities.

The Provoq features two 10,000 psi composite storage tanks under
the rear cargo floor which store the hydrogen. The dual tanks feed
the fuel cell stack which in turn provides up to 88 kW of power. The
9 kWh lithium-ion battery pack powers a 70 kW co-axial motor which
powers the front wheels while a single 40 kW motor is mounted in the
hub of each rear wheel.

Thanks to its advanced powertrain, the Provoq can travel 300 miles
with a full load of hydrogen -- it can travel a total of 20 miles on
battery power alone. Likewise, the Provoq can reach 60 MPH in just
8.5 seconds and race to a top speed of 100 MPH.

GM also added additional touches which may find their way into
future fuel cell and hybrid vehicles. The Provoq contains solar
panels on the roof which are used to power electrical accessories
within the vehicle. The front grill features louvers which remain
open under low speeds to provide maximum cooling for the fuel cell
stack, yet close to create a more streamlined shape for optimum
aerodynamic performance. Finally, the Provoq features charging ports
on either side of the vehicle ahead of the front doors -- this makes
it more convenient to charge the vehicle at home.

While the fuel cell technology is definitely an incredible
achievement for GM's Advanced Systems Integration team, the Provoq
also foreshadows the styling of the next generation Cadillac SRX
crossover utility vehicle (CUV).

The current generation SRX is built on the previous generation
Cadillac CTS chassis. The second generation CTS was recently launched
which means that the SRX is due for its own makeover. The fact that
the Provoq looks very close to production-ready and that the interior
looks like a heavily stylized version of the second generation CTS'
interior leads to the pretty obvious observation.

DailyTech asked two members of the Chevrolet Volt team
about the relationship between the Provoq and the second generation
SRX -- they looked at each other with a smile and laughed knowingly,
although their official stance was a textbook "no comment."

In addition to the Provoq, Wagner also talked up GM's OnStar
system which will have the ability to slow down a vehicle at the
request of pursuant law enforcement in the event of a vehicle theft.
Offiers can call OnStar which can then beam a signal to the car's
engine control unit (ECU) – the vehicle then safely slows to a stop
while a pleasant voice tells the driver to steer the vehicle to the
shoulder and remain in the vehicle. That segment of the keynote got
quite a rise from the crowd.

Theft deterrence was not the only
new OnStar feature, however. GM is developing a mobile phone
OnStar application which will allow you with a simple click to unlock
your car, start your engine, check your car's status, or even help
you locate it in a parking lot by turning on your lights and beeping
the horn. In the case that you lost your phone, GM engineers
personally assured DailyTech that would-be thieves would not
get out of the parking lot -- the car won't shift into gear, even if
pre-started unless the key is inserted.

I would also like to see a bunch of turbocharged 4 cylinder engines on the road because they are more efficient than naturally aspirated. I don't know how reliable they are, but Audi isn't a good example of a reliable car.

Diesel will never get adopted. Vokswagen was supposed to release a diesel Jetta here, but it's price would be more expensive than the Prius, it wouldn't achieve as great a fuel economy, and you'd have to pay more for fuel.

quote: Diesel will never get adopted. Vokswagen was supposed to release a diesel Jetta here, but it's price would be more expensive than the Prius, it wouldn't achieve as great a fuel economy, and you'd have to pay more for fuel.

What are you talking about? VW has a ton of diesel Jettas, Passats, Golfs/Rabits etc. I paid 21k for my loaded 03 Jetta Wagon TDI, (with 0.9% financing) and it gets ~ 50MPG. Great, I pay more 20% more than regular for diesel (3.50/gal), but look at the mileage I get.

Maint is also a piece of cake (I do it all myself) and the longevity of a diesel is much better than a gasser. In addition, I have the option of running biodiesel (which I can have delivered to my house for 3.59 a gal)

Here in the North East, I see a ton of TDI's on the road. If you are in a CARB state, then you have to wait until the 50 state legal diesels are available (already with the MB, soon with the VW) But you could always buy used.

VW may have Diesels on the road, but its current lineup does not have any Diesel cars, just one SUV.

The VW Jetta Diesel 2008 was estimated to cost about 23,000 in new condition. In the tri-state area, Diesel is 16% more expensive than Regular Gasoline. Early reports estimated the MPG of this Jetta to be 41mpg combine. There is no concrete evidence to suggest better mpg. Although, more recently, the VW website anticipates that it has 51mpg, a full 10mpg over the original estimates. We'll see.

In contrast, the Prius costs about 21,000 in new condition and gets 47mpg combined. If the new mpg estimates are true, then Diesel might have a good chance, otherwise it won't.